Birth Of An Upton Bass

The Birth of a Double Bass

Our Hawkes model double bass has become one of the most recognized double bass patterns on the market today.  So, why would we change it?  There were so many reasons....most having to do with our own ideals concerning standardizations, playability, and tone  Oh, and to have a bass that is TRULY unique to Upton Bass!

If your going to sit down and design your own double bass, you have to have a sound understanding of dimensions and  measurements.  After literally thousands of repairs and restorations on double basses from every corner of the globe over the years, we have formed some pretty firm opinions of how a double bass should look, sound, and feel. 

Starting with our traditional Hawkes model, we made an accurate pattern by tracing the top plate. 

The pattern was then cut into many sections, allowing us to manipulate the outline, while always keeping in mind the aesthetics of the instrument as well as our predetermined target measurements.

Some areas- like the upper bout coming out of the neck set and the corners- were completely redesigned to fit our requirements...

Once we established an outline we liked, we cut it out, mounted it on cardboard, and handed it around the shop for critiquing.  It wasn't unusual to see Gary just sitting and staring at these paper templates for long stretches of time.

As we settled on a body shape, we needed to give the bass its soul...thus began an intensive ff hole study (see below).

The Finished Template; reduced to the rib outline and then traced onto sheet aluminum...

...and then transferred to cabinet grade plywood to make the rib forms.

The Final Result-  A well-proportioned bass that has thunderous tone, superb note clarity, and effortless playability in all positions! 

A word on our unique ff holes:

Scott LaFaro, one of the most talented and influential bassists of all time's instrument, a fantastic Abraham Prescott double bass, was the influence of our ff hole design.

Starting with a high quality photo with proper perspective...

We digitized the photograph...

Erased the "noise" and refined our outline...

Finalizing our ff hole template by stretching the proportions to fit within our newly designed UB Hawkes body.

The Result- an elegant ff hole that pays tribute to one of the double bass' greatest performers and one of the most coveted American double bass builders of all time!